SUNDAY June 30, 2024
Walk Carefully
See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Ephesians 5:15-16
If we read these verses in the New International Version, we receive more clarity: Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. It is important in life not to waste time. You can never get back the years, months, days and minutes. Whatever you choose to do today, that time is gone; you cannot gain it back. This is why Paul exhorts us to redeem the time. Be very careful to live your life for Christ! British missionary and cricketer Charles Thomas Studd wrote:
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
And when I am dying, how happy I’ll be,
If the lamp of my life has been burned out for Thee.
Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians has brought us to the place of treasuring God’s Word because it gives us His wisdom. God will speak to us directly through His Word. We need His wisdom when making important decisions. When we listen to God’s Word in church, we are no longer ignorant. We are responsible and accountable for all we have heard.
Believers in Christ are to live a life of holiness and obedience. Sadly, some Christians do not, and they have a bad witness. They live foolishly. Redeem the time because the days are evil. Christ could return at any moment! While waiting for the Lord to come, whether we live or die, we are to remain in the light so we can be a good role model of Christ to our friends and family. We want to lead people to Christ, not away from Him. Our goal as believers is to win souls.
Life is fleeting. The book of Isaiah helps us to consider our frailty: “The grass withers and the flowers fade beneath the breath of the LORD. And so it is with people. The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever” (Isaiah 40:7-8 NLT). It is wise to live our lives with an eternal perspective. It is God’s Word that is enduring, not us.
So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
~Psalm 90:12~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!
